Temporary stays help retirement living decisions

Temporary stays help retirement living decisions

For 86-year-old Lillian Fisher, her move from Florida into an adult living community in New York was a test of courage.

Accustomed to fending for herself, especially after her husband died a few years ago, Fisher began having health issues. Reluctant at first, she moved to a retirement community where a staff cooks and cleans for her and provides medical care.

Instead of flying blind, full of fear and uncertainty, Fisher stayed a month at Atria Kew Gardens to make sure she liked the accommodations, the amenities and her potential neighbors.

"You don't feel nervous about the move," says Fisher, who uses a walker but still plays Rummikub with friends, the oldest of whom is 102. "Psychologically, it is a bit more comforting."

Developers of senior housing aim to attract buyers and renters by offering stays of a few days to a month for a fee comparable to a hotel room. The origins of these "test drives" emerged in the 1960s but are gaining traction today as more than 75 million baby boomers enter or approach retirement.

Visitors of active adult communities have a chance to get immersed in the community, then decide if they want to move in. They shoot a round of golf, use the hot tub or play bridge in the clubhouse. Temporary stays at continuing care or assisted living communities acquaint seniors and their families with the health and medical care that's available.

Trial stays can be short vacations for seniors. They also let caregivers take time off while their employers are away. The strategy also is a marketing tool that helps companies sell homes by overcoming a common obstacle in the sales world -- getting the buyer in the door.

"Moving from one's home to a senior living environment is a life milestone," says Khristine Rogers, a vice president with Atria Senior Living Group. "From a psychological, emotional and social perspective, temporary stays ... can help relieve at least some of that pressure."

A builder of senior housing, Del Webb offers "vacation getaways" of one to five days at more than 20 communities -- up from about five two years ago.

The stays cost as low as $39 a night during the summer in Del Webb communities in the Southwest, says Caryn Klebba, spokeswoman for Del Webb, which is owned by Pulte Homes Inc.

At Del Webb's Sun City Anthem community in Florence, Ariz., bookings are up 10 percent this year. At its Sun City Festival community in Phoenix, nearly half of those who took a "vacation getaway" in 2008 actually bought a property. Del Webb's Sun City community in Hilton Head, S.C., had more than 800 vacation stays last year, generating 132 sales under the program.

Retired teacher John Ossenmacher paid $69 a night during a two-day stay in March at Del Webb's Bridgewater community in suburban Detroit, about an hour's drive from their condo in Algonac, Mich.

Ossenmacher and his wife stayed in a ranch-style home. An avid swimmer, he liked the Olympic-size pool. The Ossenmachers met their future neighbors, and he even ran into a retired teacher he used to work with.

Ossenmacher, 67, had been looking to move closer to his children and grandkids for about two years. He liked Bridgewater so much he signed a purchase agreement for a new $246,000 house with two bedrooms and den that should be ready in September.

"I suppose if everyone was snobby it might have been different," he says. He hopes to sell his condo in Algonac to help pay for the house but is not against using a mortgage.

Aside from Del Webb, many other developers of senior housing have short-term stays.

Most Atria Senior Living Group communities offer them, based on availability. Daily rates vary with the level of care the resident needs, but the average is between $125 and $200. Some seniors visit more than once, Rogers says.